2011 Airbags blown - what do I need to reset?

[Curious Hound]

I think it varies state to state. I go over to PA and they will sell anything except transmission pans and catalytic converters. Never understood the transmission pan rule...

My junkyards poke holes in the transmission pans to drain them. Not worth buying unless you want to weld in a drain bung.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My junkyards poke holes in the transmission pans to drain them. Not worth buying unless you want to weld in a drain bung.

Same here, with a dull chisel so I don't know if you could hardly add a bung if you wanted to.

 

[fred m]

I’m just throwing this out there, the restraints module can be reset, and the seat belt pretensioners can be rebuilt.

When I hit a deer in my 4th gen Explorer in December, it blew both front airbags and both front seat belt pretensioners. Insurance company was going to total it based on the SRS, I reached an agreement with them to pay for the other repairs and omit the airbags from the estimate. I sent my restraints module and pretensioners to a company who claimed to be able to reset the module and repair the pretensioners. I paid them $75 per pretensioner and $50 for the module reset. I got my original parts back, they tested fine and there were no codes.

For the record, my clockspring was not damaged. Both airbags on eBay were less than $250.

The website for these guys is www.myairbags.com. I can say for a fact that their services work.

Hope this helps, OP. I can’t give any useful advice on buying a vehicle that’s already wrecked, but I have recent and relevant experience with these airbags.

 

[JoeVR5]

Thanks everybody. I decided to pass on the 2011. Looks like a bit too deep for me - probably a better project for someone else.

I appreciate the info!

 

[1990RangerinSK]

Thanks everybody. I decided to pass on the 2011. Looks like a bit too deep for me - probably a better project for someone else.

I appreciate the info!

I'd say you made the right choice. It's one thing to fix what you can see. But, you never know what you'll find when you start working on it. I'd say chances are pretty good that there's more damage than what you can see (or the seller is telling you).

 

[Josh B]

I think it varies state to state. I go over to PA and they will sell anything except transmission pans and catalytic converters. Never understood the transmission pan rule...

I'd guess it's because they are required to drain fluids before putting them out in the yard, and from what I have seen most likely stick a hose down the fill tube and pump it out under rushed conditions.
I went out there thinking they had been drained, wanted to see what the magnet on a manual had collected and pulled the plug out to look, it had not been drained at all, two quarts went streaming into the gravel.
Wanted to see what the bottom of an automatic pan might reveal about another one and although it had been somewhat drained it was by no means empty

 

[Josh B]

Thanks everybody. I decided to pass on the 2011. Looks like a bit too deep for me - probably a better project for someone else.

I appreciate the info!

I'd think it still has an excellent drive train that could easy be worth a thousand, if you also found another similar one with high miles that needs an engine/transmission/ etc for like 500, maybe it would have also had the recalled bags replaced